


Homeward

by justdk



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-15 05:30:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18067493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justdk/pseuds/justdk
Summary: Nicky's movie choice brings Neil to tears





	Homeward

**Author's Note:**

> Written to answer a tumblr ask: Could you write some andreil, with Neil just breaking down in tears out of nowhere, maybe because everything's just so overwhelming and hes been through so much. Bonus if its in front of the foxes.

Nicky was a sentimental fool.

When the team gathered in the girls’ room for a movie night, Nicky – who was stressed about finals and sullen because Erik’s birthday was coming up and he couldn’t be with him – had turned down all of their movie selections, even the superhero films starring men with an excess of muscle. The DVD he shoved into the player was scratched and the case beat to hell. Nicky wouldn’t tell them what the movie was beforehand, not that Andrew cared. Movies weren’t his thing.

Neil slumped against Andrew. He was bundled up in a hoodie and sweatpants, his hands shoved into the front pocket of his violently orange hoodie. Andrew waved a spoonful of cookie dough ice cream in front of Neil’s face but Neil wrinkled his nose in refusal. Andrew popped the spoon into his own mouth and wondered if Nicky’s bad mood was contagious.

The movie had barely started when his teammates gave a collective groan. Andrew looked up from his pint of ice cream to see what was going on.

“Fuck you, Hemmick,” Matt said, lobbing a pillow at Nicky. “I did not sign up for this.”

Allison scowled. “I bawled like a baby the first time I watched this.” She glanced at the rest of them and continued, “And every other time I watched it.”

Dan was nodding and even Renee looked teary. Aaron wrapped an arm around Katelyn who was holding her clasped hands over her heart and blinking. The only people in the room who didn’t seem to know what was up were Neil and Kevin.

Kevin picked up the movie case and scanned it. “What’s wrong with you all? This is a kid’s movie. It says right here that it’s rated G.”

“Are you for real?” Dan asked, her gaze fixed on Kevin’s face. “You’ve never seen ‘Homeward Bound’?”

Kevin shrugged. “While you all were having childhoods I was playing Exy.”

Neil snorted. “I don’t think any of us had proper childhoods, Kevin, but thanks for making us feel like underachievers anyways.”

Before Kevin could reply Nicky rapidly snapped his fingers, drawing everyone’s attention. He raised a finger to his lips and glared at them like he was one of the library aides. Which was rich coming from the man who typically chattered away through most of the movies they watched.

Andrew spooned up more ice cream and sank into the couch. Neil’s weight was heavy against him, his head resting on Andrew’s shoulder. Andrew glanced down at Neil’s tired face, his eyes shadowed from restless nights, his lips chapped and dry. Something was eating at Neil Josten, though of course he insisted that everything was fine. It most certainly was not.

The movie played and Andrew watched as his teammates got absorbed in the familiar story. There was some light heckling of Allison whenever Sassy the cat made a particularly Allison-like remark. Nicky even chimed in on the brief debate over which one of them was the most like Chance. Neil kept quiet. He had relaxed enough to drape his legs over Andrew’s lap; Andrew rubbed his shins any time that Neil stiffened in response to dramatic moments in the movie. Andrew often accused Neil of staring but right now he was guilty of doing the same, tracking the changes in Neil’s expression, reading the minute shifts of his body.

Tears were shed, boxes of tissues passed around. Kevin’s resting bitch face had shifted into one of pending childlike heartbreak. Renee leaned in to tell him that everything would be okay but Kevin didn’t seem to believe her.

The film drew to a close, the pets coming home to their family. It was stupidly emotional and Andrew had to swallow around the ache in his throat. This damn movie.

Neil was rigid beside him, leaning forward, his hands balled up tight in his sleeves. As the family embraced the two pets that had returned and the oldest boy, Peter, lamented that his dog Shadow was too old to have survived the journey, Neil whispered a pained, “ _No_ …” His eyes were glassy and the tip of his nose red.

Then came the moment that really brought on the waterworks. Old Shadow, battered and dirty, came limping out of the woods towards his family. Peter ran towards his dog and the Foxes cheered, tears and laughter mixing. Neil went limp with relief, sagging back against Andrew’s chest. Andrew couldn’t see his full expression from this angle but he could hear Neil sniffing quietly.

Andrew knew the movie by heart even though he had only seen it once. Cass had played it during one of the family movie nights, smiling wistfully over at Andrew during the closing minutes of the film, when Chance had his final monologue about family. Andrew remembered feeling sick, sandwiched on the couch between Cass and Drake, struggling to maintain the lie of normalcy that would let him stay. _Family_. He had wanted that with Cass, no matter the cost.

He swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth and focused back on the moment. Chance’s words filled the quiet room: _A strange new feeling came over me. I had a family. And I had found out that sacrifice and friendship and even love were more than just the mushy stuff. At last, for the first time in my life, I was home._

Nicky was crying loudly and trying to grab onto Andrew’s foot; he already had a hold of Aaron’s ankle. Aaron shot Andrew an exasperated look and Andrew rolled his eyes in response. Nicky said something garbled about how much he loved everyone before retreating, phone in hand to call Erik and sob at him, too. Matt kissed Dan’s tear-stained cheek and turned expectantly towards Neil. His open smile shifted to a look of concern and Andrew went on alert, pulling Neil closer.

“Neil?” Matt asked. “Are you okay?”

That got everyone’s attention. They all turned to look at Neil with matching expressions of shock.

“Is he crying?” Allison whispered loudly.

Andrew couldn’t believe it. He shifted Neil, turning him around so he could see his face.

Tears spilled from Neil’s brilliant blue eyes and dripped off his chin but he didn’t make a sound and he didn’t try to brush the tears away.

“What’s wrong?” Andrew asked. His voice came out rough. He tipped Neil’s chin up, rubbed his thumb over Neil’s wet jaw.

Neil looked up at him with wide, shining eyes. He bit his lower lip and shook his head slightly before pressing his face to Andrew’s shoulder. His warm tears soaked into Andrew’s soft cotton shirt.

The Foxes were still crowded around them, some worried, some curious. Andrew didn’t have time for them. He cupped the back of Neil’s head, gently ruffling his hair, before scooping him up and getting to his feet. Neil made a quiet, surprised noise but didn’t try to get down. His hands gripped Andrew’s shoulders, his legs hanging limp over Andrew’s arm as Andrew carried him bridal-style out of the room. Andrew knew there would be gossip about them tomorrow, money exchanged, but he didn’t care.

Back in their room Andrew set Neil down on the bed and brushed his messy hair off his forehead. Neil leaned into him, butting his forehead against Andrew’s sternum.

“That feels nice,” Neil mumbled against Andrew’s chest.

Andrew snorted but kept his fingers in Neil’s hair, stroking it and rubbing Neil’s back with his other hand. Neil hummed a little, his breath warm on Andrew’s chest. From time to time Andrew’s fingers would skim over small raised scars on Neil’s scalp, hidden beneath his tangle of auburn hair. It seemed like he was always discovering new marks on Neil.

Andrew wasn’t sure how much time passed. Touching Neil had helped sooth away the unpleasant memories that the movie had brought up; Andrew hadn’t realized until then how physical proximity and touch could be healing. Neil’s breathing was deep and even, his body slumped forward in sleep. Andrew sighed and pushed Neil back onto the bed, pulling the covers over him. Neil blinked his eyes open and gave Andrew a sleepy look.

“Sorry,” Neil murmured. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

Andrew waved it off.

“I didn’t mean to cry either,” Neil continued, his voice quiet. “I don’t cry. I have nothing to cry about. I don’t—” He tugged at the covers in frustration and swallowed hard. “Anyway it’s stupid.”

“What?” Andrew asked. “You crying or the reason why you were crying?”

Neil rolled his eyes towards the ceiling and huffed. “Both?”

“Animal movies make most people cry,” Andrew said. “Now the team will have further proof that you’re human like the rest of them.”

“Like the rest of us,” Neil corrected.

“I didn’t cry,” Andrew pointed out. Before Neil could lecture him he asked again, “What made you cry?”

Neil opened his mouth to argue but gave up. There was a look in his eyes that Andrew took to mean that the topic of his humanity was being tabled for another time. “I think,” Neil started, “that lately I’ve been feeling lost. My entire life was about surviving my father but now he’s dead. And Riko is dead. The worst happened and I lived.” He plucked at the cover and avoided Andrew’s gaze. “I never thought I would live this long, Andrew. And I worked so hard to fix things before I died, to fix the team and, well, you know.”

Andrew did know. Neil had pushed and asked and traded. He had done everything he could to get him and Aaron talking, to make them family instead of two men bound together by destructive promises – Bee’s words, not his.

“So now,” Neil continued, “I’ve got to keep going. And I’m so happy I can’t stand it. But I also feel like everything is going to implode, that it’s too good to last. I’ve been dreading it, the thing that will end all of this. It’s crazy, right?”

Andrew shook his head. “It’s not crazy, Neil. Especially not after all that you’ve been through.”

Neil blinked rapidly, tears gathering in his eyes again. “Yeah.” His voice was thick. “Well.” He breathed through his mouth and sniffed. “I don’t know. We were all watching that movie and that dumb dog just went and said everything I was feeling for you guys and that was the last straw, I guess.” He laughed and fresh tears spilled down his cheeks. “A stupid kid’s movie about animals made me cry. But I want to keep moving forward with everyone, with my family. With you, Andrew.”

Andrew had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. “That’s some real mushy shit, Josten,” he said.

Neil snorted and moved over, holding his arm out. Andrew climbed onto the bed and settled next to him, letting Neil hug his arm and curl up beside him. It felt right, good. It felt like home.

When Andrew was sure that Neil was asleep again he rolled over and whispered, “Welcome home, Neil.”

**Author's Note:**

> I cry maybe a couple times a year but watching the end scene of Homeward Bound had me about in tears. I haven't watched that movie since I was a kid and wow... right in the feels. Originally I wanted to write Neil crying in reaction to Kitbull because that also gave me massive feels and it has an Andreil vibe of friends helping each other out of bad situations and finding a home together but of course that wouldn't fit the timeline of AFTG so... Homeward Bound! (Idk why I worry about that when this story is way softer than canon... *laughs*) I also have no idea when Erik's birthday is so let's all pretend it's towards the end of the college term (at least for this story)!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @dkafterdark


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